Railway-switch mechanism



' (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

P. J. HOYT.

I RAILWAY SWITCH MECHANISM.

No. 431,357. Patented July 1, 1890.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets--Sheet 2.

F. J. HOYT.

RAILWAY SWITGH MEGHANISM. No. 431,357. Patented July 1,1890.

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FRED J. I-IOYT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAI LWAY-SWITCH M EC HAN ISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 431,357, dated July 1, 1890 Application filed April 17, 1890.

To all whom it may concerm Be it known that I, FRED J. HOYT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Switch Mechanism; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to railway-switch mechanism; and its objects are to dispense with the use of a frog, and to present at all times a continuous and unbroken rail for the main and side tracks, making a solid main and a solid side track.

In the well-known system of rails in which a frog is employed-for instance, what is termed a No. 9 anglethe distance from the heel of switch-point to the point of frog is usually sixty feet, and the movable switch rails from that point thirty feet in length. Therefore from the point where the switchrails begin to diverge from the main track to where they cross the main track is about ninety feet. Now I propose to place a switchstand in such case at the center of this curve, or, in the instance mentioned, at forty-five feet from that point each way from the stand where the switch-rails begin to diverge from the main track. I The rails divided at the stand are to be movable in opposite directions from this point, and for this purpose and to preserve the gage the rails are securely tied.

My invention is illustrated in the acconr panying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan of track and switch-stand with the switch in the main track, and Fig. 2 a similar view of the siding; Figs. 3 and 4, details of the switch mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, AA are the main rails and B the switch-rail. h are the tie-rods for securing these rails together, and

Serial No. 348,346. (No model.)

9 are stationary fillings secured to a tie for 5 the purpose of closing completely the space between the ends of the rail-sections when they are moved from the main track to siding.

A is a switclvstand, composed of a broken cog-wheel (1, provided on the open part with arms 0 for operating the same, and which gears with a cog I), mounted on a shaft d. The shaft (1 carries at its ends cogs c, which engage with wider cogs f, which in turn engage with rack-bars g on both sides of the stand and solidly secured to the movable rails by clips g The operation of the apparatus is as follows: Let the track be set as in Fig. 1 on main track. If desired to run in on siding, the wheel a is unlocked and turned by the arms 0 a given distance, whereby the connectinggear is rotated, which in turn moves the rackbars 9 each in opposite directions and an equal distance, the rail-sections on both sides of the stand also being simultaneously moved in opposite directions until the rails engage with the stationary filling g, forming the continuous side track, as shown in Fig. 2. It will be seen that this gear mechanism is so connected with the main and side rails that when one rack-bar is moved in one direction the other rack-bar will be moved in the 0pposite direction to throw the rails, as shown in the drawings.

\Vhat I claim is- The combination, with a switch mechanism, of two sections of movable tied rails, arranged on opposite sides of said switch, and stationary fillings for closing the-space between the So ends of the rail-sections, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRED J HOYT.

Witnesses:

JAMEs G. How, CHARLES H. WEsToN. 

